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Jeong-suk processes a variety of emotions and thoughts now that she knows her husband is cheating on her and having an affair. She also navigates the confusing and overwhelming situation with her husband and family. How can she still protect her kids while also prioritizing herself over In-ho? What does she want to do in regards to her relationship with In-ho? Jeong-suk is tested once again and she faces yet another obstacle and challenge in her life.

Doctor Cha: Episode 9 Recap

Jeong-suk arrives at the hotel where her family waits for her to celebrate her birthday. But she’s quiet and unimpressed when she reunites with her family because she’s just discovered that her husband is cheating on her with Seung-hi. Everyone else pretends as if nothing’s wrong and they greet Jeong-suk awkwardly upon her arrival. Seung-hi watches from outside the entrance door and she admires the sight of Jeong-suk’s family wishing Jeong-suk a happy birthday. For a split second, she imagines herself in Jeong-suk’s shoes, sitting at the table with In-ho, Eun-seo, and Mother-in-law who all sing her a happy birthday. She imagines what her life would have been like if it was her and not Jeong-suk who was with In-ho. Seung-hi returns home after receiving a text from Eun-seo.

Jeong-suk opens up the gifts from her family after blowing out her birthday cake candles. Mother-in-law, Jung-min, and I-rang all get something for Jeong-suk except for In-ho. Since he already got her a bracelet as a super early birthday gift, he comes up with something on the spot and hands her the bouquet of flowers laying next to him. Jeong-suk isn’t so happy with In-ho but she accepts the flowers anyway. In-ho suggests that they eat some of the cake while they wait for their food to arrive but Jeong-suk isn’t in the mood. She smashes his face down onto the cake as he’s about to cut a slice and she laughs hysterically at the aftermath. This is her birthday gift to herself and while everyone else watches in shock, Jeong-suk is quite satisfied. Haha. Serves him right!

The drive back home is an uncomfortable and silent one so In-ho puts on some music. The song is quite an old and familiar one that both Seung-hi and Jeong-suk liked so Jeong-suk uses the chance to bring up In-ho’s ex-girlfriend (AKA Seung-hi). To change the subject, the rest of the family joke about Jeong-suk and In-ho’s wedding since their wedding anniversary is coming up but Jeong-suk doesn’t laugh with the rest of them. She recalls their wedding day and how much of a mess it was. Mi-hee sang a congratulatory song for the couple but her performance was a little shaky. Mother-in-law clearly disapproved of the marriage. Jeong-suk forced a smile on her face during the event. Mother-in-law rambles about the wedding in the car which causes Jeong-suk to cry and break down into tears. She exits the car alone and walks back home after getting some air. With Jeong-suk out of the car, everyone else panics and worries about Jeong-suk’s behavior.

Seung-hi returns home and showers Eun-seo with some extra love. After crying her heart out on the drive home, she slips into Eun-seo’s bed and sleeps with her daughter for a bit. After witnessing Jeong-suk celebrate her birthday with her family at the hotel, Seung-hi spends some time with her loved one as well. When Jeong-suk returns home from the night walk, she discovers the home empty and silent. Before bed, she cries her heart out a little bit more and then researches online posts of wives whose husbands cheated on them or had an affair. The common theme from these posts points towards divorce so Jeong-suk spends the entire night until morning sitting on her bed and contemplating her next steps. It’s not until In-ho asks her about the whereabouts of one of his ties the next morning that she moves and gets out of her bed. In-ho puts on his tie as he prepares to head out to a funeral which Jeong-suk is curious about. Speaking of funerals, when will In-ho himself die? Jeong-suk hopes that he’ll die before she does so that he won’t turn into a sad widower. She also announces plans to tell him something later on that day so she demands that he come home early.

Jeong-suk speaks with a divorce lawyer for some consultation and advice. Though Jeong-suk wishes for a clean divorce, the divorce lawyer comments that it’s nearly impossible. If she proceeds with a divorce, she’ll see the worst in her husband and she’ll need concrete evidence to support her case. Jeong-suk sheds a few more tears after the meeting. Later on that day, Jeong-suk runs with Roy’s running crew but she stops to catch her breath and gather herself. Roy notices Jeong-suk alone so he checks in with her. It’s clear Jeong-suk feels overwhelmed by everything. But Roy reassures her that everything happens for a reason and that there is no effect without a cause. He then suggests that Jeong-suk join him in becoming a medical volunteer as part of their hospital’s mission in providing free medical services to underserved communities. Jeong-suk glances back at Roy and she considers taking Roy up on his idea.

In-ho and the rest of the family wait in the living room for Jeong-suk’s announcement, anxious and nervous. It’s In-ho and Mother-in-law in particular who panics when Jeong-suk shares that she plans on leaving the house. She’s going to stay in the resident dorms for the time being as it’s more convenient. I-rang gives her mom the green light to move into the dorms. Jeong-suk can care less about what In-ho or Mother-in-law thinks. She argues that Mother-in-law figure out the housekeeper situation. She also remains silent when asked if she’ll come back home during the weekends. Ooh, I love seeing Jeong-suk stand up for herself!

Jeong-suk accepts Roy’s suggestion to become a medical volunteer so she packs her clothes and belongings to prepare for the trip and for her stay in the resident dorms. Jeong-suk isn’t interested in accepting any of In-ho’s help and she bids farewell with both him and Mother-in-law before leaving. Jeong-suk’s nervous but she gathers up the courage to do what she knows is best for herself. Later on that night, Jung-min and So-ra make plans to see each other at the hospital cafe for a bit. While leaving her resident dorm, So-ra catches Jeong-suk also leaving her dorm. It turns out the two are neighbors, haha. They also end up heading to the cafe together which Jung-min freaks out about once he sees his mother. Jung-min pretends to play it off at first but he ends up running away from the cafe out of embarrassment, haha. In-ho is also interested in volunteering for the hospital similar to Jeong-suk. But unlike Jeong-suk, he’s unsure as to where his carry-on luggage is and Jeong-suk isn’t home to help him find it.

And so it’s the day of the volunteer trip. Jeong-suk and the rest of the volunteers prepare for the trip. Jung-min and So-ra will also be joining as well as Chief Lim and Chief Yoon. Jeong-suk and Mom catch up with each other for a bit before Mom goes in for her doctor’s appointment at Jeong-suk’s workplace. Everyone gathers onto the bus and In-ho makes room for Jeong-suk to sit next to him. But she ends up ignoring him and getting her own seat so Chief Lim and Chief Yoon dish it out to sit next to In-ho, haha. When Roy enters the bus, there’s female residents who are interested in sitting with him but Roy has eyes on one person and one person only: Jeong-suk (EEEEEEK!). He takes the seat next to her and the two engage in some small talk before departure (they’re so cute!).

When the bus arrives at the village, everyone does their part and contribute in their own ways. The higher-ups greet the village head and residents while the rest of the group set up for the event. Jeong-suk herself partners up with Family Medicine resident, Do-gyum, and together they visit a few residents throughout the village. She takes special care of the elderly residents and helps them in any way that she can. For her second resident, the man suffers from diabetes and doesn’t have anyone else around the house to help him with his medications and health. Jeong-suk volunteers to wash the man’s foot which he feels apologetic but grateful for. Before leaving, Jeong-suk and Do-gyum give a few reminders to the man about his medications. Jeong-suk also snaps a few photos of the man’s foot: she’s positive his health will improve the next time she comes back to visit. Jeong-suk also cooks a healthy meal for the man before leaving (this makes me want to cry!). Even if Jeong-suk isn’t the smartest or most skilled resident, she’s still incredibly talented in many other ways.

Back at the village where the main event is being held, our professors and department chiefs hold individual one-on-one appointments with different residents. The residents receive advice and medication depending on their health status and condition. Everything seems to be going well at the event. Meanwhile, Seung-hi attempts to get in contact with In-ho but he’s busy with the volunteer event so he doesn’t pick up. Seung-hi runs into Mom instead, who was at the hospital for a check-up on her shoulder. Mom greets Seung-hi happily since Seung-hi was her doctor the last time she came in for a check-up on the mole on her back. The two ladies sit down to talk for a bit and it’s clear Mom is like a mother figure for Seung-hi who lost her mother. They also discuss a bit about Mom’s daughter (AKA Jeong-suk) but Mom doesn’t reveal who exactly her daughter is and she lies that her daughter doesn’t work at the university hospital. When Seung-hi returns back inside the hospital, she’s greeted by another mother: this time, it’s In-ho’s mother. They speak in private and Mother-in-law pleads that Seung-hi end the affair with In-ho. She acknowledges Jeong-suk as her only daughter-in-law and doesn’t give Seung-hi any additional time or support. She’s not even moved when Seung-hi shows her a photo of Eun-seo. Seung-hi bursts into tears once Mother-in-law exits her office.

In-ho is tasked with a daunting challenge that he’s a bit reluctant and hesitant to take on. One of the residents in the village has a health condition that In-ho specializes in so he has no choice but to visit the resident and treat him. So the ride to the house is a bumpy one (literally) and In-ho has to even walk a bit further to get to the house. He learns that the elderly patient hasn’t had bowel movement in more than a week so In-ho performs “surgery” on the elderly patient to relieve him of his stress (the actual scene is a lot more graphic so this is the most I’m going to say about what’s going on LOL). In-ho doesn’t feel all that great after the “surgery” and downs some makgeolli that is offered to him as an appreciation gift from the residents, haha. Back at the main village, Roy and Jeong-suk prepare dinner. While cooking, Jeong-suk becomes distracted and she accidentally burns herself so Roy brings her to a big bowl of cold water. He adds that she can go to him if she has something on her mind; it isn’t healthy to bottle up her emotions and thoughts. The two are interrupted by In-ho who gets mad when he sees the two together. Jeong-suk merely walks away and Roy splashes the huge bowl of water in front of In-ho before also walking away. As if that wasn’t enough, a small group of residents walk by In-ho and complain about the smell of poop. Haha. This episode sure does love teasing In-ho about poop.

Seung-hi suffers from gastric cramps and is transported to the hospital for emergency medical treatment. They’re unable to get in contact with In-ho and it’s only Eun-seo who accompanies her mother in the ambulance to the hospital. Meanwhile, In-ho intervenes Jeong-suk and Roy while they prepare for dinner. Jeong-suk once again has another reason to walk away so In-ho and Roy bicker. At first, they talk a bit about Jeong-suk before moving on to talk about cooking. Surely In-ho can make some sauce for the meat, right? But it’s obvious In-ho hasn’t cooked for himself or knows anything about cooking. Before In-ho can even pretend to act like he knows what he’s doing, he spills the jar of doenjang (soybean paste) on himself after bumping into one of the residents (another poop joke! lol).

And so dinner is finally ready and everyone gathers at their own tables to eat. Chief Lim and Yoon are seated at the same table with Roy and In-ho. Similar to Roy and In-ho, Chief Lim and Yoon have this competitive rivalry with each other as well. While the two go at it with each other, Roy and In-ho also go at it in a drinking competition. The two continue to down bowls and bowls of makgeolli and they drink a little too much. Jung-min and So-ra sneak away for some alone time so they head out separately to the bus station in the village. Jeong-suk catches sight of her son and So-ra sneaking out but she stays behind to help wash the dishes.

So-ra and Jung-min spend some time together at the bus station and even though they’re away on a trip, So-ra is still focused on work. So Jung-min hands her his cellphone to show her a video tutorial of a procedure and then steps away to relieve himself. So-ra finishes the first video so she scrolls through his cell phone in search of the second one only to land on the video recording that Jung-min took at his mom’s birthday party. Jung-min remembers about the video and snatches his phone away from So-ra but it’s too late. So-ra already saw the video and knows about Jung-min’s relationship with his mom. After dinner, everyone in the village celebrates by singing some karaoke. Since In-ho’s intoxicated, he gathers the liquid courage to go up and sing with Roy. The two have fun and they put on quite a performance for the villagers but it’s Jeong-suk who’s in for a surprise when In-ho shouts for her attention. While walking past them with a tray of snacks, Jeong-suk stops in her tracks when In-ho calls her “honey” while yelling into his microphone. Roy immediately wakes up (haha!) while everyone else watches in confusion. Honey? Who is he referring to as honey? Of course, In-ho’s intoxicated so he’s unaware of his actions or words. Jeong-suk reacts in shock and second-hand embarrassment at her husband’s behavior. Someone might have drank just a liiiiitle too much.

My Thoughts:

These endings continue to remain chaotic and wild! The ending to this episode in particular sort of reminded me of the ending to episode 3 when Jeong-suk answered that her husband was “dead.” In-ho reacted in shock and he was thrown off by her response. In this case, Jeong-suk was the one who was surprised when In-ho called for her attention and referred to her as his wife. Jeong-suk just wants to enjoy the trip in peace T_T